Canon Celebrates Significant Milestone With Production Of 150 Million Interchangeable RF And EF Lenses
MELVILLE, N.Y., Feb. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today that its parent company, Canon Inc., reached a new lens-manufacturing milestone with the production in January 2021, of the Company's 150-millionth RF and EF series interchangeable lens for EOS cameras(1)-- an RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM telephoto zoom lens (released in November 2019).
Production of interchangeable EF lenses for Canon EOS-series AF (Autofocus) single-lens reflex film cameras began in 1987 at the Company's Utsunomiya Plant. Over the years, EF lenses have gained support from a wide range of users and production has since expanded to a total of four manufacturing bases, including Canon Inc., Taiwan; Canon Opto (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.; and Oita Canon Inc. in southern Japan.
EF lens production passed the 10-million-unit mark in 1995 and crossed the 50-million-unit threshold in 2009. In April 2014, the Company celebrated its first-in-the-world achievement of having manufactured 100 million interchangeable lenses, and now, setting a new world record for the most interchangeable lenses produced, Canon manufactured its 150-millionth RF and EF lens in January 2021. Laid end-to-end(2), all of the RF and EF lenses Canon has manufactured thus far would measure approximately 7,736 miles in length -- nearly equivalent to the Earth's diameter, which measures approximately 7,917 miles.
Canon's proprietary EF lenses, launched in March 1987 along with the EOS SLR camera system, have continued to evolve since their introduction, leading the industry through the incorporation of a wide range of innovative technologies, including such world's firsts(3) as the Ultrasonic Motor (USM), Image Stabilizer (IS) technology, and a multilayered diffractive optical (DO) element.
In 2018, Canon introduced the EOS R system and the RF series lenses, which pursues new heights of quality under the core concept of "Speed, Comfort and High Image Quality." Today, the Company's extensive RF and EF lens series lineup currently comprises a total of 118 models(4), expanding the possibilities for image capture. In addition, thanks to the extensive lineup of lenses, Canon has maintained the number one market share for digital interchangeable-lens cameras since 2003 -- a total of 17 years(5)-- and in September 2019, the Company celebrated the production of 100 million EOS-series interchangeable-lens cameras.
Canon will continue refining its imaging technologies centered on its RF and EF lens lineup, striving to cater to the varying needs of photographers -- from first-time users to advanced amateurs and professionals -- while contributing to expanding the photographic and video imaging culture.
Model name &
Main features and technologies
Release date
---
EF300mm f/2.8L USM6 World's first7 use of a lens-based Ultrasonic Motor (USM)
Nov. 1987
---
USM technology delivers fast autofocusing thanks to
its high torque and responsiveness. By converting
ultrasonic vibrations into rotational energy, the
technology makes possible quiet, smooth AF drive
performance.
---
EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM8 World's first7 use of Image Stabilizer (IS) technology
Sept. 1995
---
Users can see the results of IS technology through
the viewfinder. Delivering high precision and
stability for superb image stabilization results,
this technology expands the possibilities for
handheld photography.
---
EF400mm f/4 DO IS USM9 World's first7 use of a diffractive optical (DO) lens element
Dec. 2001
---
Diffraction is an optical phenomenon in which light
waves bend as they pass around the edges of an
object. DO lens elements use this phenomenon to
correct for a variety of aberrations by controlling
the path that light travels.
---
EF24mm f/1.4L II USM World's first10 use of Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC)
Dec. 2008
---
SWC technology helps to minimize reflections by
aligning countless wedge-shaped structures more
minute than the wavelength of visible light on the
surface of a camera lens.
---
EF100mm f/2.8L World's first7 use of Hybrid IS, which compensates for both angle
camera shake and shift camera shake
Macro IS USM
Oct. 2009
---
Employing an algorithm, Hybrid IS optimally adjusts
for camera shake based on information gathered by
two sensors located in the lens. By precisely
driving the optical correction system, the
technology simultaneously corrects for angle and
shift camera shake.
---
EF8-15mm f/4L World's first7 fisheye lens to deliver both 180-degree diagonal
angle of view and 180-degree circular fisheye
Fisheye USM
July 2011
---
The EF8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM enables the capture of
images with dramatic deformations, exaggerated
perspectives and extreme depths of field, making
possible images that are significantly distorted,
similar to what a fish might see were it to look
skyward from under the water surface.
---
EF200-400mm f/4L IS World's first7 super-telephoto zoom lens to employ an internal
extender
USM Extender 1.4x
May 2013
---
Featuring a built-in 1.4x extender, the EF200-400mm
f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x's zoom range can be
expanded with a simple one-touch operation even in
locations where users are unable to switch lenses
---
EF11-24mm f/4L USM World's first7 lens offering ultra-wide-angle 11 mm minimum focal
length
Feb. 2015
---
In addition to achieving the world's widest angle of
view starting at a minimum focal length of 11 mm,
the EF11-24mm f/4L USM effectively corrects for
aberrations commonly associated with ultra-wide-
angle lenses, delivering superb image-quality
performance
---
RF28-70mm F2 L USM World's first11 standard zoom lens to deliver f/2 aperture across
the entire zoom range
Dec. 2018
---
Employs a large internal mount diameter and a short
back focus to realize an f/2 aperture across the
entire zoom range, a feat which was considerably
difficult for EF series lenses.
---
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean markets. With approximately $30.4 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2020(**) and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2020. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA.
** Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.
1 Includes EF, EF-S, RF, EF-M and EF
Cinema lenses and lens extenders. As of
February 3, 2021.
2 Calculated based the length of the
lens' bodies. Based on Canon research.
3 Among interchangeable SLR camera
lenses. Based on Canon research.
4 Includes four lens extenders. As of
February 3, 2021.
5 In terms of market share by number of
units sold. Based on Canon research.
6 As of February 3, 2021, production for
this lens has already been
discontinued. Successor: EF300mm f/
2.8L IS II USM (released in August
2011).
7 Among interchangeable SLR camera
lenses.
8 As of February 3, 2021, production for
this lens has already been
discontinued. Successor: EF70-300mm f/
4-5.6 IS II USM (released in December
2016).
9 As of February 3, 2021, 2016,
production for this lens has already
been discontinued. Successor: EF400 f/4
DO IS II USM (released in November 2014)
10 Among photography lenses.
11 Among interchangeable lenses
supporting autofocus across the entire
standard zoom range and compatible with
35mm equivalent full-frame sensor
cameras.
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SOURCE Canon U.S.A., Inc.
